In November 2013 on the anniversary of the founding of KRONOS RECORDS we will be launching THE GOLD COLLECTION.

For this series we will focus on titles from the Golden and Silver Age of Cinema; both European and Foreign. To start the collection we picked a long sought for title by many fans and collectors of classic Italian soundtracks : SALADINO (AL NASSER SALAH ED DIN) composed by one less than the King of the Italian Golden Age MAESTRO ANGELO FRANCESCO LAVAGNINO. The film was directed by Youssef Chahine's and starring Ahmed Nazar, Nadia Lutfi and the best of the best of Egyptian Cinema. MAESTRO CARLO SAVINA conducts The Cairo Symphony Orchestra and Choir in one of the most epic film soundtracks ever made. For the first time ever on CD format the score to this grand epic score by Maestro Lavagnino and featuring almost 50 minutes of previously unreleased music. The CD runs for over 79 minutes and is strictly limited to 500 copies. S A L A D I N O by ANGELO FRANCESCO LAVAGNINO (KRONGOLD001) For sound-samples and to preorder the CD go to http://www.kronosrecords.com/KG1.html

The second title in this series is another world premiere. For the first time ever on CD and in its complete form MICHELE LACERENZA (of A Fistful For Dollars fame) 's score for León Klimovsky's war film QUEL MALEDETTO PONTE SULL’ELBA. The music is very dramatic with plenty of military marches and a main theme for trumpet that is among Lacerenza's top performances ever. MAESTRO ROBERTO PREGADIO conducts his Orchestra on this brilliant, very dynamic war film score! Features the legendary FRANCO De GEMINI on harmonica. This soundtrack was previously released on vinyl in 1969 and ran for a length of 16 minutes. The CD contains the complete soundtrack in film order and runs for 56 minutes. Strictly limited to 500 copies. QUEL MALEDETTO PONTE SULL'ELBA by MICHELE LACERENZA (KRONGOLD002) For sound-samples and to preorder the CD go to http://www.kronosrecords.com/KG2.html

Great news! Kronos had some good releases in the last two years but with this Gold Series I think they can join the top labels. And the first two releases are excellent choice: two rare CAM LPs on CD and expanded. I'm hoping someone will take over the French and German 50s and 60s as well...

AF Lavagnino has some rubust music going there. My other experience is La Maja Desnuda. Does he have a masterpiece?

Have you ever listened to the Lavagnino titles we released on Alhambra? For me, L'IMPERO DEL SOLE is one of his masterpieces, a particualrly lush exotic score with very colourful orchestrations and gorgeous themes. Also CONTINENTE PERDUTO is a highly impressive score. Of course LA MAJA DESNUDA and VENERE IMPERIALE as well as THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS (unfortunately, tapes are not available for this one) are among the top ones.

In the historical epic/peplum genre SALADINO is certainly one of his greatest achievements and I am surprised to see that Kronos has now succeded in releasing this title from the old CAM catalogue. However, contrary to the info on the Kronos website the old CAM LP was not released in 1963 when the movie had had its premiere in Egypt. SALADINO came to Italy not before 1965 so that the Campi LP was also released at that time (exactly in May 1965 if you have a look at the bottom of the back cover of the LP).

THE SAVAGE INNOCENTS (unfortunately, tapes are not available for this one)

Does this mean you simply can't get access to them right now, or they are missing?

The tapes for SAVAGE INNOCENTS are completely missing in the Lavagnino estate. And as this was a British movie, not an US studio production, the probability that original tapes have survived anywhere, is almost down to zero.

Did you try contacting the Morricone and Carlo Rustichelli estates? Both were friends with him, especially Rustichelli, and they may have dubbed copies or can lead you to person or persons who might know.

Did you try contacting the Morricone and Carlo Rustichelli estates? Both were friends with him, especially Rustichelli, and they may have dubbed copies or can lead you to person or persons who might know.

I hardly think so that that the Rustichelli or Morricone estates would have copies of Lavagnino tapes. That's really far-fetched and you absolutely overestimate how things were going down in Italy in former times. There is so much luck and coincidence involved anyway that at least some tapes for the Lavagnino scores are there at all in the estate. Lavagnino himself was not that interested in preserving his own material, for him it was sufficient when everything was recorded and fit into the respective film. He was more interested in composing new music for a new project. And during the 70s he lost interest in composing music anyway.

To start the collection we picked a long sought for title by many fans and collectors of classic Italian soundtracks : SALADINO by ANGELO FRANCESCO LAVAGNINO (KRONGOLD001) For sound-samples and to preorder the CD go to http://www.kronosrecords.com/KG1.html

Great news! Kronos had some good releases in the last two years but with this Gold Series I think they can join the top labels. And the first two releases are excellent choice: two rare CAM LPs on CD and expanded. I'm hoping someone will take over the French and German 50s and 60s as well...

Seconded!

I hope Kronos will release some of those 80+ titles within the Carlo Savina estate!

Great news! Kronos had some good releases in the last two years but with this Gold Series I think they can join the top labels. And the first two releases are excellent choice: two rare CAM LPs on CD and expanded. I'm hoping someone will take over the French and German 50s and 60s as well...

Seconded!

Thirdeded

I hope Kronos will release some of those 80+ titles within the Carlo Savina estate!

hope Kronos will release some of those 80+ titles within the Carlo Savina estate!

You are mixing up things here. Those 80 titles do not belong to the Savina estate, but they are part of the old CAM catalogue now owned by Sugar to which in the meantime at least several labels do have access (Digitmovies, GDM, Beat, Quartet, Kronos)